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Community Tours & Travel

Travel with Purpose

We invite you to discover culture by experiencing it. We encourage you to interact with local communities and learn about the traditions and cultural heritage that make them unique. It’s not only about working and learning from locals but sharing with them and becoming an active participant of their development and yours.

We are proud members of Pack for a Purpose, an initiative that allows travelers like you to make a lasting impact in the community at your travel destination. If you save just a few kilos of space in your suitcase and take supplies for the projects we support in need, you’ll make a priceless impact in the lives of our local children and families. Please click here to see what supplies are needed for our project.

Multi-day tours

We are an authorized travel company which specializes in community and sustainable tourism, by creating tailor-made experiences with local operators; such as community tour guides, artisans, farmers, fishermen and families in their beautiful surroundings. If you are a hands-on travel enthusiast; we welcome you to learn from the best and participate in real and authentic cultural encounters while minimizing your footprint in each destination you visit with us.

Our personalized itineraries will adapt to your time and possibilities. Visit with us the Guatemalan pacific, highlands, volcanos and the lush Guatemalan jungle and heart of the Maya world.

Workshops & Tours

We want to offer you the chance to travel in a responsible manner and to embrace local experiences through an authentic cultural connection and integration. We are promoting community and responsible tourism by offering non conventional experiences such as tailor made tours, classes, workshops and low impact treks.

We like supporting local economies and would like travelers to become a part of what we do while developing their creative potential and working actively with locals. Creativity is the main resource, it provides authenticity and is a window of opportunity for the community to share their knowledge and improvement. They gain self-confidence and are empowered thanks to the interest in their culture, their surroundings, their development and their identity.

Testimonials

Jo Ann, USA

Sunday, July 1, 2018

“My partner, Larry, and I had a totally FANTASTIC experience traveling with Etnica. Truly, this was a trip of a lifetime - Etnica made every experience interesting, meaningful, stress free, and well organized. Our trip went way beyond our hopes and expectations!! I would totally recommend Etnica to anyone wanting to experience Guatemala's beauty and culture.”

"Where do I begin? We just arrived home after a week visit to various departments of breathtaking Guatemala. Thanks to Etnica we had the time of our life and will never forget the people we met on our journey. They created an itinerary that was customized to our interests which included opportunities to take in the country's natural beauty, rich cultural traditions, and historical monuments. They went above and beyond to make our visit the best it could be with attention to every detail. I simply can not sing Etnica's praises loudly enough! Thank you for a spectacular visit; we will definitely be back!”

"I had the opportunity to get to know the most intimate side of the country, its paintings, its ceramics, its textiles, the true nature of its people, the human warmth, diversity and the commitment that Guatemala has with its roots, as an inheritance that can and must be preserved. Having met so many different places, so many families, sitting at the table, talking with them, feeling part of it, was an experience that could not have been if it wasn’t for ETNICA."

"Very often we travel without taking time to get to know the culture and people of the region…this trip was different as I was able to spend a night with a family of Guatemalan artists and experience their way of living. Besides learning about naïf art, I was able to learn about the life of a Maya family, enjoy homemade breakfast and practice my Spanish."

"The artisanal fishing tour is an incredible opportunity to learn subsistence techniques from the region and at the same time observe local and endemic species of El Paredón. A unique experience in which it is possible to share and live the local culture and gastronomy."

“I loved learning the complexity of the weaving process the women artisans do in San Juan la Laguna, it’s incredible how since they are children they become experts. I would love to spend more time with them to finish learning their technique. It’s been a great experience getting to know them and working with them".